I read it - it was enjoyable enough at the time but I can’t remember much about.

I was tempted to pick the new series up at IDW but I’m not desperate to read it plus I’m a bit put off by Paul Cornell’s recent public treatment of his oftentimes co-creator Jimmy Broxton, I’m not sure I’m up for buying something of his when he’s tried to sabotage another artist’s career in the manner he did over the Vampirella cover scandel - total self preservation and totally fucking the guy over in the process.

Broxton has explained what his intention was and was not, which seems pretty clear to me.

However, to save his own arse, Cornell has said he will never work with him again.

Broxton has said he won’t apologise, and I don’t think he should either. He keeps his integrity intact.

Once again we see the vocal minority ruining people’s lives on social media, even when members of the Trans community have come out in support of it and said themselves they don’t find it offensive and they understand the intention.

Ultimately this probably just dilutes attention from issues where attention is very much needed.

Broxton, a brilliant artist, is probably going to struggle for work now in an industry that is hard enough for these people to make a living in.

He elaborated in a response to a supportive comment, saying, “there is no bigotry on display, it lampoons all of those outdated notions, with humour, it in no way condones or legitimises abhorrent views. Anyone who thinks it does is wrong. I created the cover, I know what my intentions were and I make absolutely no apology for it what so ever. If a few people are offended, so what? Also, for the record the woman is not trans, she is female. The trolls who kicked off this nonsense got that wrong as well.”

Broxton added on his own Facebook page, “As the sole individual responsible for this I do not apologise, I have absolutely nothing to apologise for, personally I think Paul and Dynamite should have risen above this nonsense and ignored the trolls who kicked it off, and I certainly did not want them to apologise on my behalf. That being said, everyone else can do, say and think what they like, as that’s just how I roll.”

This morning Cornell tweeted, “this will be the last time I work with Jimmy Broxton,” prompting the artist to respond, “So Paul has publicly sated [sic] he will never work with me again, presumably for disagreeing with him. For the record, I had no problem working with him, I was happy to agree to disagree.”

I don’t really drink, I maybe have a social one or two every couple of months and possibly get smashed only a couple of times a year but last night I was struck with the urge for an amaretto. I bought a cheap bottle from Lidl and drunk most of between 6pm and 9pm.

The point of this story is that I woke this morning to see two confirmation emails from Speedyhen and Amazon. What? It seems I had got drunk, had an online gaming session on Star Wars Battlefront withmy buddy and due to getting rammed with Star Wars enthusiasm went on a spending spree I don’t remember.

I had previously decided to cut out the entire Marvel SW line but I appear to have bought:

Poe Dameron vol 3Star Wars vol 6Darth Maul vol 1

I also bought some sort of hardback strip collection I’ve never heard of called Star Wars The Classic Newspaper Comics Vol. 1.

Plus:

Star Wars: Where’s the Wookiee? Search and Find BookStar Wars Adventures Vol. 1: Heroes of the GalaxyStar Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy

He elaborated in a response to a supportive comment, saying, “there is no bigotry on display, it lampoons all of those outdated notions, with humour, it in no way condones or legitimises abhorrent views. Anyone who thinks it does is wrong. I created the cover, I know what my intentions were and I make absolutely no apology for it what so ever. If a few people are offended, so what? Also, for the record the woman is not trans, she is female. The trolls who kicked off this nonsense got that wrong as well.”

Broxton added on his own Facebook page, “As the sole individual responsible for this I do not apologise, I have absolutely nothing to apologise for, personally I think Paul and Dynamite should have risen above this nonsense and ignored the trolls who kicked it off, and I certainly did not want them to apologise on my behalf. That being said, everyone else can do, say and think what they like, as that’s just how I roll.”

This morning Cornell tweeted, “this will be the last time I work with Jimmy Broxton,” prompting the artist to respond, “So Paul has publicly sated [sic] he will never work with me again, presumably for disagreeing with him. For the record, I had no problem working with him, I was happy to agree to disagree.”

He’s entitledto his views and as the artist he knows his intentions but that doesn’t prevent him from stumbling into something offensive unintentionally. Especially since there’s no humorous lampooning visible on that cover and there’s text on it that literally says either the Commandant or Vampirella is a trans and I don’t think it’s Vampirella.

Broxton, a brilliant artist, is probably going to struggle for work now in an industry that is hard enough for these people to make a living in.

His spat with Alex De Campi over Ashes and the way the Goldtiger Kickstarter was handled (no fulfillment for over two years, the book got published by 2000AD before backers got anything, the KS copies turned out to be inferior, with no cover art) probably hasn’t helped him either.

His spat with Alex De Campi over Ashes and the way the Goldtiger Kickstarter was handled (no fulfillment for over two years, the book got published by 2000AD before backers got anything, the KS copies turned out to be inferior, with no cover art) probably hasn’t helped him either.

Yes that did cross my mind. I do tend to side with him on this one, it looks a clear pastiche to me of on old cover, but Broxton has his own his own history of easily annoying people. Which is sad as he’s a really talented artist but if he’s on the fringes he has some of the blame on his side.

I kind of understand this ‘hodgepodge’ approach though. It collects a load of odds and ends that aren’t available in other dedicated collections. It makes sense, but only really for Millar fans who are into his work enough that they’re going to have all those other collections other series already.

I think Marvel have enough Frank Miller material that they could do a similar thing - early on in his career, he did quite a few single issues here and there that would together be enough to amount to a full-length TPB - but it would be a really weird collection of random issues of wildly different books. Still, his name would sell a few copies.

The key point for me in that cover controversy is that the Trans community, whose voice should count most in it all, didn’t see a problem with the cover.

I’m not sure what a “community” is in this respect. Communities don’t have feelings, individuals have feelings. If only one trans person in the whole world was offended, is it ok? How about if it was 10 people? 20? 100? Where is the bar? If 51% of trans people thought it was ok, is that speaking for the entire trans “community”?

Not meaning to be confrontational with you personally, Ben, but I’m genuinely interested in this point (because I’m always bothered when a “community” speaks for people).